"West Blackwood," Lady Mariam's said through gritted teeth. "I should have known."

West just smiled. "I hope you are having a lovely time tonight," he said, stepping toward the woman whose thin lips were tight, her chin lifted high in a haughty, proud mien. "Please, do not be troubled. I mean no harm. After this short rendezvous, you can go and meet Magnus Gadford."

At the mention of the prime minister's name, Mariam's face turned as light as her blond curls. And then the woman's face hardened.

Finding no need to explain, West went straight to the point. "I want Delaney Guideville be recourted into the Court of Flowers."

Mariam shook her head. "That is not done."

His lips curled as he stared down at the Mistress. "Sasha Merson was recourted, was she not? So was my mother, Elizabeth Blackwood."

Again, the Mistress vigorously shook her head, her lips turning white as she spoke. "That was not me. It was not my decision to have Sasha recourted into my court."

West nodded, stealing both Rider and Tanner a glance before he sighed. "Then I am afraid you simply have to find a way, Mariam."

The woman was now shaking in panic. "I cannot do anything... why are you doing this?" Then understanding dawned on the woman's face. "Aliya." She scoffed. "You have recruited her into your secret club."

West blinked. "I do not know what you mean, Mariam, but you seem to be a wise woman. I am certain you will figure things out soon enough." He stepped closer to add in a low voice, "You know something about me and I know something about you. Should we reach a compromise?" When the woman did not reply, West smiled. "Everyone in Belcourt knows my secrets, Mariam, and yet I am still alive. I wonder what will happen to you once your dear Belcourt finds out about yours. I heard Sinhold is a rather harsh place."

Contempt flashed before the woman's blue globes and so did fear. "You have to give me time."

"I am not a very patient man, Mariam. I will give you a fortnight."

"That is impossible—"

"Then prepare for Belcourt's wrath for I am certain that they will not appreciate your secret affair with the prime minister." He turned to Rider and nodded.

His friends let go of Mariam and the three of them left the woman shaking with fury and panic in the garden.

"Do you think it will work?" Tanner murmured under his breath.

"It will," West said with certainty. "Any human facing death will be desperate enough to try to survive."

*****

Oliver was in his study pouring liquid into a flask. Aliya skidded to a stop. "What are you doing?"

"I am making myself a brandy."

Her eyes narrowed and he chuckled. "Jesting, love. I am making a bomb." He peered at her over the flask and added, "I am not jesting."

Aliya rolled her eyes. "Then do make certain that when it blows up, I am taken with you," she said, walking over to the table.

Certain that there was no dead animal, she leaned her hands on the surface of the hardwood and watched what he was doing. "Do you miss it?" she asked him. "The drinking?"

He carefully poured a drop of the liquid into the flask which sizzled. Light smoke rose from its mouth. "Yes, of course. I miss the warm spread of the liquid."

Aliya frowned at the flask. "I do not think you are making a successful bomb. How do you suppose you can make that work?"

"Thus, I am calling this an experiment, darling."

She shrugged and her eyes slanted from the flask to his face. "And do you miss how it makes you forget? I said I am not going to control your drinking, Ollie, thus I am wondering if you can control it now."

He paused and looked at the ceiling. Then, shaking his head, he looked at her. "Perhaps I should wait a few more months."

Aliya scoffed and pushed away from the table. "Well, whenever that happens, I shall share a drink with you." Walking around to where he was, she stood behind him and wrapped her arm around his waist. Planting a kiss on his broad back, she said, "For now, you are needed in Sinclair."

"I do not feel like going," he murmured, his concentration on his task.

She unwrapped her arms. "Then Natalia and I shall have to go alone."

He frowned. "Why would you need to go?"

"Natalia said that a wife or two may come to The Coffin. She means to formally introduce me to as many as she can while she is here."

He sighed and said, "Very well, I have to join you." He joined her to the door, wrapping an around her shoulders. "Now, I have to give you a bit of warning about the wives..."

*****

Lady Winthrop, Natalia, and Aliya were already comfortable in their seats when the Royals started to file through The Coffin. Most of them stopped by to talk, always giving their corner a good look.

"A lovely transformation," Lord Winthrop had said.

The Viscount of Greene paused to look at the three of them and then at the three fresh dead bodies.

"This piece of mural changes constantly," Lady Winthrop explained to one Royal who joined Greene. "Sometimes it smells, too."

Even Greene had to laugh as they left the three ladies to join the others in the Theater.

Finally, another woman arrived and Aliya had to make an effort to hide the shocked look on her face. It was no other than Harriet Dior, the Duchess of Calbridge.

Beside Lady Harriet were two gentlemen. One was the duke who just walked past everyone without a word, and a much younger man with short, straight black hair, black eyes, and an overall sharp-edged face. His expression was just like his father's. The only way Aliya could describe it was by comparing it to Ellise's for there was not much difference in how they wore their expressions.

Lady Harriet, on the other hand, was a pleasant woman with a stinging high-pitched voice. "Ladies!" she said, her black eyes full of wonder and surprise, "Who would have thought that we will have such a horrid waiting room!"

"You may extend your gratitude to my son, Harriet," Natalia wryly replied. "And before we move on, let me introduce my daughter-in-law—"

"Aliya, of course!" Lady Harriet said, turning to Aliya as she stood to offer a curtsy. Blindly, the duchess reached for the much younger man's hand and said, "This is my son, Robert. Robert, meet Oliver's wife, Aliya St. Vincent."

Robert's dark eyes locked with Aliya's as he offered a slight bow. "I am surprised St. Vincent even managed to get a wife." Before Aliya could comment, a forced smile broke his stoic face. "I hope to see more of you, Lady Aliya." He turned to Natalia and Lady Winthrop. "Have a lovely evening, my ladies." Without sparing them another moment of his time, Robert Dior sharply turned and walked away.

The duchess wryly followed her son's departure and took the empty seat beside Aliya. "Sometimes I wonder why I am trapped with two men who are as lifeless as the bodies behind us."

"You may swap places with me for a day and suffer my husband and my son, Harriet," Natalia said, "and I assure you that you will appreciate what you have now."

The duchess laughed and said, "Well, I must admit that my husband and son have their own quirks that I enjoy. But they are still a bore most days."

Natalia shrugged. "Well... dukes."

Lady Winthrop changed the subject by leaning forward to ask, "Say, Harriet, do tell us how you stole the keys."

With a dramatic sigh, Lady Harriet said, "It is quite a shame that Chalbarth's mission was a failure. I have placed my delicate life in danger to get those keys, I tell you!" With a graceful pause, she closed her eyes and when she opened them, she lifted her forefinger and beckoned the ladies to lean closer. "Now, you cannot tell this to James," she said, and Natalia, Lady Winthrop, and Aliya readily nodded. "I had to flirt with the butler."

Natalia leaned away with a disgusted look on her face, saying, "Harriet!"

Lady Winthrop covered her mouth with her hand, muffling her giggles.

Aliya simply smiled.

"It does work, Natalia," Lady Harriet said. "Do you agree, Aliya?" the woman asked with a meaningful smile.

"Yes. It makes many wonders." She let a second pass before adding, "It is also applicable to my husband."

Her mother-in-law narrowed her eyes with disappointment while Lady Winthrop and Harriet laughed.

"You have a fascinating daughter-in-law, Natalia."

"Thank you, Your Grace."

"Sometimes I wonder if she is good for Oliver or not," Natalia said with a helpless sigh. "The pair of them do nothing but see things as a joke."

"Not every day," Aliya defensively said.

"I hear nothing but laughter and loud chatters from the two of you."

"You have simply gotten used to Ellise," Aliya said with a wave of her hand. "Ollie and I know how to be serious."

Natalia merely pursed her lips.

"But funny notes aside, the younger Royals ought to be more careful," Lady Winthrop said. "Our husbands—mine in particular—are not getting younger."

"May I know how many Royals are there in total?" Aliya asked.

The three ladies looked at each other. "Perhaps less than thirty," said Natalia.

"We only see the most number of Royals during parliament season," Lady Harriet said. "How much do you know so far, darling?"

Aliya shrugged. "I know the most important rule," she said, looking at Natalia. "I am also aware that the Circus plan during parliament season and they call their sessions the opera. And for the rest of the year, most of them execute the majority of what they have planned."

"There is nothing much to learn, really," said Lady Winthrop. "Apart from the many secrets, that is," she said with a wink.

Aliya cleared her throat. "There is one thing I am very curious about."

Lady Harriet turned to her expectantly while Natalia raised her brows with curiosity. Lady Winthrop continued sipping her tea, eyes glued on Aliya, waiting for her question.

"I am curious about Lord Darcy."

The collected, "Ahh..." she received was both irritating and amusing because she knew that the ladies would readily tell her if they knew.

Her shoulders dropped. "Then you do not know him."

"He does not meet us, dear," Lady Winthrop said. "And I am not certain if we want to meet him, for Lord Darcy will only reveal himself if things get quite serious or out of control."

"And we do not want that to happen," Lady Harriet added.

"We all wonder who the man is, Aliya," her mother-in-law dryly said. "You are not alone."

"We speculate that he is in Islefield," Lady Harriet whispered.

"Islefield? No, of course not. Not right under Stanway's nose!" said Lady Winthrop. "I say that Darcy is amongst the gentlemen in the Theater now."

Natalia and Lady Harriet shook their heads.

"Do all the Royals know who he is?" Aliya asked, even curious now.

"Yes, not all," said Natalia. "It is one way to protect the Circus. Both Royal Leaders must be protected at all costs."

"Oliver says he is somewhere in the south."

"He could be," said Lady Harriet. "But then, do remember, that most of these Royals are also from the south, us—my husband and I, included." Leaning closer to Aliya, she added, "Lord Darcy could be my very own son."

"No, I do not believe that," Lady Winthrop said. "Robert cannot be Lord Darcy."

Aliya sighed. "This makes me even more curious."

"Everyone is curious, Aliya," said Natalia with a dismissive wave of her hand. "You have not yet told us how you got the key, Harriet."

"Oh, yes, of course," said the duchess. "Now, where was I? Ah, yes, the butler..."

But just as Lady Harriet was about to talk, Oliver poked his head through the door and hissed, "Ali!"

Aliya frowned at her husband. "What? We are in the middle of something."

"You are needed inside quickly."

"Why?"

"It seems they do not know what to do."

In less than a minute, Aliya was facing the Royals, and by this time she was no longer affected by the doubtful look on their faces.

"We have managed to get to Mariam," West Blackwood informed her. "Supposing she can get your sister recourted into her court, how do you suppose we can take your sister out of there?"

"We have to pay for her dowry, of course," she said, "but we need to do it through her flower."

"Then we find out who her flower is," Tanner MacMier said.

She nodded. "But I would not suggest that we simply take the man and give him the money for the dowry."

"He will need to be investigated—know how we can threaten him."

"No, there might be no need for that," Aliya said.

"We cannot let this new flower suspect he is dealing with the Royal Circus," West said.

Aliya smiled. "Yes, I know, Your Grace," she said. "Which is why I have a better plan."